DUBAI: The UAE continues in its efforts to crackdown on dangerous drivers. In the northern Emirate of Sharjah the police have tweeted a short piece of CCTV footage which shows how a lorry driver’s efforts to beat a red light ended in near disaster.
In the footage of the traffic junction the lights change from green to amber, and then suddenly the truck appears. As the light turns to red the driver breaks suddenly, causing the truck to veer off the road and around the traffic light, finally coming to a standstill in the middle of the junction.
The tweeted video footage then shows a warning from Sharjah Police which reads in English: “Dear drivers, a yellow light doesn’t necessarily mean Hurry!”
In neighboring Dubai 19,270 penalties were issued to drivers jumping red traffic signals in the first seven months of 2017, according to data published in national daily Gulf News.
Surprisingly that was an improvement on the same period the previous year, when 29,328 tickets were issued for the same offense.
Motorists in light vehicles face a 1,000 dirham fine ($272) and 12 black points for jumping a red traffic light. They also have their vehicle impounded for 30 days.
But truck drivers face a bigger 3,000 dirhams fine ($816) and the offending drivers’ have their license suspended for a year.
شرطة #الشارقة تنشر فيديو توعوي لحادث شاحنة تجاوزت الضوء الأصفر وتدعوا السائقين إلى تخفيف السرعة قرب الإشارات الضوئية @ShjPolice pic.twitter.com/DdFmIJzSna
— صحيفة البيان (@AlBayanNews) September 18, 2017
